Lauren Fedor is the chief reporter at City A.M., covering politics, banking and financial regulation.

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The Federation of Master Builders said the construction workforce urgently needs a boost (Source: Getty)

A leading industry group has said that a skills crisis in the building industry threatens to undermine the government’s housebuilding initiatives.

According to a new report from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), 60 per cent of small construction firms say they are struggling to hire bricklayers, compared to 49 per cent just three months ago.The FMB also said that more than half of firms struggle to hire carpenters.

Adding that major infrastructure projects are also at risk due to the skills shortage, Berry said: “We urgently need to boost our workforce by convincing people...to return to our industry or join us for the first time.”